1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention is mortar packages and methods of using mortar packages, particularly for masonry construction.
2. Background
Masonry elements, such as stone walls, serve many practical purposes and can add value to a property. For example, when stones or bricks are used to form a retaining wall, a property owner can change the landscape of a sloping yard into one that is more functional. Walls can serve as demarcation lines that define the boundaries of a property. In addition, walls may improve aesthetics or visual interest of a property.
Dry stacking is one method of building a stone wall. A dry-stacked retaining wall is built by vertically stacking stones of various width, length, and thickness. As the stones are stacked, crevices between the stones are filled with sand, gravel, and smaller stones. Gravity and friction hold the stones together, usually without any type of mortar or adhesive or additional reinforcement. Stacking stones is labor intensive. As a wall is built, smaller rocks typically are broken off from larger stones and shaped to fit in gaps in the wall for leveling purposes.
Over time, however, the stones used to build dry-stacked walls shift from their initial positions. This shifting is worsened by weather effects (e.g., rain, snow, wind) and other stressors that loosen the sand, gravel, and small stones positioned in crevices in the dry stacked wall. Although some open crevices are acceptable for water drainage purposes, these crevices will eventually enlarge and adversely affect the structural integrity of the wall.
To deter the shifting and movement of stones many professional contractors reinforce the interior of walls with mortar. Using mortar only on surfaces of stones that are placed within interior portions of the wall can preserve the exterior look of a dry-stacked stone wall. Unfortunately, applying mortar to the interior of the wall is at least a two-person or more person job. In the case of two persons or more, one person continuously mixes and prepares mortar slurry for application, while at least one other person stacks stones to form the wall and applies the mortar as it is needed.
Conventional methods of dry stacking and reinforcing masonry walls can be improved upon. Dry-stacked stone walls will at some point require reinforcement because of the shifting and movement of stones. But the methods of addressing these problems require at least two people and are labor intensive. For these reasons, among others, there is a clear need for improved masonry construction methods. The present invention fulfills this need and provides further related advantages, as described in the following summary.